Nearly 2,000 residents of Anambra State have received cash grants, business equipment, educational support and food assistance under a joint empowerment programme organised by the Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo Initiative and Fidelity Bank Plc.
The intervention, which benefited 1,950 people, provided 100 women with sewing machines, another 100 women with grinding machines, 250 schoolchildren with solar-powered school bags and 1,500 vulnerable persons with food packs, aimed at improving livelihoods and promoting economic inclusion.
Speaking at the event in Awka, the wife of the Anambra State Governor, Dr. Nonye Soludo, described the programme as an investment in people and communities.
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She stressed that empowering women, supporting children and assisting vulnerable families were essential to building a healthier and more prosperous society.
The Governor’s wife said the partnership between Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo and Fidelity Bank demonstrated the importance of collaboration in addressing social and economic challenges.
Mrs Soludo noted that sustainable development can only be achieved when governments, private organisations and civil society work together to expand opportunities for vulnerable groups.
Dr. Soludo highlighted the achievements of her non-governmental initiative, revealing that more than 350,000 sanitary pads had been distributed to schoolgirls through the Healthy Living Pad Bank Programme over the past two years, while over 25,000 packs of hybrid non-GMO seeds had been provided to households, schools and communities to encourage home gardening and improve nutrition.
She stated that the initiative’s nutrition programme, Nonye’s Healthy Living Pap, had distributed more than 25,000 packs through primary healthcare centres across the state, contributing to a significant reduction in malnutrition, while its Healthy Living Saturday Workouts had expanded to all 21 local government areas of Anambra State.
In addition to the empowerment packages, Dr. Soludo personally donated ₦100,000 each to the women beneficiaries and ₦5,000 each to the students, describing the gesture as part of ongoing efforts to support families and encourage educational development among young people.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, said the programme marked the first time the bank had combined three of its flagship social impact initiatives, the Fidelity Food Bank Initiative, Lighting Young Minds Programme and Give Her Power Initiative, under a single intervention.
She also announced an additional ₦25 million contribution by the bank to support the empowerment programme.
Also speaking, the bank’s Divisional Head of Brand and Communications, Dr. Meksley Nwagboh, said Fidelity Bank remained committed to advancing education, women empowerment and food security through sustainable social interventions.
He disclosed that the bank’s Food Bank Initiative had distributed more than 300,000 food packs across Nigeria since its launch in 2023, reaching hundreds of communities nationwide.
In her vote of thanks, Fidelity Bank’s Executive Director for the South Directorate, Mrs. Pamela Shodipo, commended participants and partners for supporting the initiative and urged beneficiaries to make productive use of the equipment and resources provided.
She reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to community development and programmes aimed at improving livelihoods and expanding economic opportunities for Nigerians.
